Brain Surgery for Beginners: And Other Major Operations for Minors

A full-color, illustrated guide to the human body and how it functions explains how humans replace and repair body parts and illuminates how the body operates, regenerates, and heals

Gr. 4^-7. Human anatomy books for this age group abound, but this one approaches the topic from the point of view of the brain. Following a brief history of medicine, Parker offers a detailed discussion of the central nervous system. He then describes the other body systems, emphasizing the brain's role in controlling each. For every function, there are illustrated double-page spreads, with short paragraphs on several subtopics. Within each section, there are subsections called "Spare-Part Surgery" and "Spies on Your Insides," describing, respectively, artificial devices that can replace body parts and modern techniques for examining the body. Although the cartoon-style illustrations and a few flip captions ("low-fat, high-fiber French fry" ) may put off some adults, the book is packed with information and has lots of kid appeal. Kay Weisman